英文畢業(yè)論文--從女性主義的角度分析《簡愛》

1、<p><b>　　本科生畢業(yè)論文</b></p><p>　　從女性主義的角度分析《簡愛》</p><p>　　An Analysis on Jane Eyre from the Perspective of Feminist</p><p><b>　　摘要</b></p><p>　

2、　十九世紀英國女作家夏洛蒂.勃朗特的作品《簡愛》因其獨特的思想內(nèi)容和表現(xiàn)手法，一直被看作是英國文學的經(jīng)典之作。自從作品問世以來，一直受到文學評論界的關(guān)注。尤其是作品中對女性獨立與平等的追求，使得小說中女主人公簡愛的形象負載了西方婦女在19世紀開始覺醒的女性意識。英國文學不乏叛逆女性的形象，但像簡愛那樣卑微、平凡、孤苦無依而又相貌平平的“弱勢”女性，如此自覺地對抗強大的父權(quán)社會，算是空前的。</p><p>　　此

3、篇論文從女性主義的角度出發(fā)，通過對作品中女主人公簡愛的分析，揭示小說中所反映的維多利亞時期女性性別意識的覺醒和當時女性的社會地位。在維多利亞時期女性地位得到了提高，女性意識得到了發(fā)展，但是仍然受到社會等級和社會地位的限制。但總體來說，隨著時代的發(fā)展，女性地位和女性意識都得到了不同程度的提高。</p><p>　　關(guān)鍵詞：簡愛； 夏洛蒂.勃朗特； 女性主義； 平等和自由</p><p>&l

4、t;b>　　Abstract</b></p><p>　　Charlotte Bronte is an outstanding woman writer in the 19th century English literature, her work Jane Eyre has been regarded as the classics of the English literature due

5、 to its unique content and way of expression. Since the work has been published, it has attracted the attention of the literary critics. Especially the pursuit of female independence and equality, making the heroines of

6、Jane’s image loads the Western women’s awakening of feminist consciousness in the 19th century. There is no la</p><p>　　This paper reveals the wake of the gender conscious and the social position of women in

7、 Victorian period through the analysis of the heroine from the feminist perspective. The status of women in the Victorian period has improved by the development of female consciousness, but still affected by social class

8、 and social status. </p><p>　　Key words: Jane Eyre；Charlotte Bronte; female; equality; freedom</p><p>　　Table of Contents</p><p>　　Acknowledgements錯誤!未定義書簽。</p><p><

9、;b>　　摘要II</b></p><p>　　AbstractIII</p><p>　　Table of ContentsIV</p><p>　　Chapter 1 Introduction1</p><p>　　1.1 Social Background1</p><p>　　1.2

10、 Motivations and Objectives1</p><p>　　Chapter 2 Literature Review3</p><p>　　2.1 The Definition of Feminism3</p><p>　　2.2 Research Background4</p><p>　　2.3 Historica

11、l Views4</p><p>　　Chapter 3 Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre6</p><p>　　3.1 Charlotte Bronte6</p><p>　　3.1.1 Personal Experience of Charlotte Bronte6</p><p>　　3.1.2 Ch

12、arlotte Bronte's Position in Literary History…………………………………..7</p><p>　　3.2 Jane Eyre7</p><p>　　3.2.1 The Plot Overview of Jane Eyre7</p><p>　　3.2.2 The Theme of Jane Eyre8<

13、;/p><p>　　3.2.3 Literary Value of Jane Eyre………………………………………………………9</p><p>　　Chapter4 the Rising of Jane Eyre’s Female Consciousness10</p><p>　　4.1 Gateshead-beginning of Female Conscio

14、usness10</p><p>　　4.2 Lowood- Growing of Female Consciousness11</p><p>　　4.3 Thornfield-Uprising of Female Consciousness…………………………………………11</p><p>　　Chapter 5 Pursuit of Equality a

15、nd Freedom13</p><p>　　5.1 Pursuit of Equality13</p><p>　　5.2 Pursuit of Freedom13</p><p>　　5.3 Limitation of the Feminism14</p><p>　　Chapter 6 Conclusion15</p&g

16、t;<p>　　Bibliography17</p><p>　　Chapter 1 Introduction</p><p>　　1.1 Social Background</p><p>　　Jane Eyre is one of the famous novels written by Charlotte Bronte in the 19th

17、century and it is among my famous novels. Since its publication, it has attracted a lot of attention. From the literature review, the thesis of the work is about feminism. In the later part of the twentieth century, it b

18、ecomes common for literary critics to pay attention to feminist elements in Charlotte Bronte’s novels. Feminist first appeared in France; the French Revolution challenged social inequalities and opened </p><p&

19、gt;　　The writer, Charlotte Bronte had been raised by the father who taught his children to think for themselves. She learned to trust her instincts that encouraged her to believe that women , as well as men, had a need t

20、o dream, to explore, that they “need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do”(Charlotte Bronte, 1992:130). Her mother died in 1821, leaving the children in the care of the

21、ir aunt. Living in the rectory, she had little to do other than r</p><p>　　1.2 Motivations and Objectives</p><p>　　In Victorian times, Charlotte Bronte was among the first feminist writers. This

22、 was the time that the women were looked down upon by the society. They had few rights and few options open to them for self-support. For most women the only way to live decently was to get married, and in many cases, it

23、 was not up to the women to choose with whom she married. For the most part, a woman was not given the opportunity to go to school and earn a degree unless she was born into a high social class. The av</p><p&g

24、t;　　object or piece of property. She had very few rights either in society, or marriage. In Jane Eyre, the main character, Jane, explores the depth at which women may act in society and finds her own boundaries in Victor

25、ian England. Jane Eyre is a novel about one woman’s journey through life, so she described Jane’s experience in detail to show the inferiority of the woman and the poverty of the society. But Jane is such self-respect, i

26、ndependent and decisive woman. Her female consciousness and her </p><p>　　This paper reveals the wake of the gender conscious and the social position of women in Victorian period through the analysis of the

27、heroine from the feminist perspective. The first chapter introduces the social background, the type and the subject of the work. The second chapter introduces the theoretical basis, the form of feminist and its influence

28、 to the creation of the work. The third chapter puts the foundation to analyze the female conscious through the comparison of the author’s experien</p><p>　　Chapter 2 Literature Review</p><p>　　

29、2.1 The Definition of Feminism</p><p>　　The idea of “feminism” appeared several centuries ago, while even today there is no exactly definition. Throughout the history, women have always struggled to gain equ

30、ality, respect and the same rights as men. What is feminism? By general definition, feminism is a philosophy in which women and their contributions are valued. It is based on social political and economical equality for

31、women. Feminism can also be described as a movement or a revolution that includes women and men who wish the worl</p><p>　　Most feminists hold a belief that woman as groups are treated differently from men.

32、They are subject to personal and institutional discrimination (Steven Goldberg, 1973). Feminists believe that being female to a large extent determines one’s life. Being a woman means having a certain gender, especially

33、femininity. Feminists also believed that the society is organized in favor of the men. Feminists try to explain that the powers are imbalanced due to the gender difference. Literature will often r</p><p>　　A

34、nd feminist theorists aim to understand the nature of inequality and focus on gender politics, power relations, and sexuality. Feminist political activities advocate for social, political, and economic equality between t

35、he sexes. They campaign on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, discrimination and sexual violence.</p><p>　　When we talk about the feminist criticism, we must m

36、ention that the word “feminism” .According to the New Encyclopedia Britannica, “feminism”, also called “feminist movement” or “women’s liberation movement”, refers to the social movements that seek equal rights for women

37、, giving them equal status with men and freedom to decide their own careers </p><p>　　and life patterns. There are other five different definitions of Feminism:</p><p>　　1. Challenging the power

38、 structure between men and women; seeing men and women as groups rather than individuals.</p><p>　　2. Rebelling against and rejecting power structures, institutions, laws, or social conventions that maintain

39、 women as subordinate, powerless, or second-class citizens.</p><p>　　3. Arguing against the division of labor that values men in the public sphere (work, sports, government, law) and devalues women in the pr

40、ivate sphere（home, child care, reproductive labor, housework, maintaining family).</p><p>　　4. Working as a collective to fight for women’s rights in all facets of modern life, including the workplace, sexua

41、lity, reproductive rights, fair representation, and acceptance of alternative families.</p><p>　　5. Demanding full rights for all women and men.</p><p>　　2.2 Research Background</p><p

42、>　　In the year of 1800s, people have few rights and few chances. Women are still regarded as the second class citizens. But things to change after the reign of Queen Victoria. The Victorian time is a period of dramati

43、c change that brought English to its highest point of development. The Industrial Revolution brings an enormous increase in wealth and provides the tools for the development as well as serious social problems. During the

44、 time, women gradually gain the right to their property upon marri</p><p>　　2.3 Historical Views</p><p>　　Feminism is difficult to define because of the many different kinds of feminisms, which

45、still exist today. Feminism started as women’s struggle for their political rights, and flourished in the world of literature. It was encouraging, thrilling and enlightening for a time, but it also had been faced with ch

46、allenges and doubts.</p><p>　　Feminism first appeared in France. Many scholars have devoted themselves to the research on it. Virginia Woolf (1929) is known as the modernism and feminist pioneer in the twent

47、ieth century. She advocates feminism and notes that women have to be independent in the economic and life. Steven Goldberg (1973) hold the view that women’s groups exist as an independent, they also bear the heavy burden

48、 and the system of gender discrimination. Elaine Shwalter (1979) is American literary critics and femin</p><p>　　Form the brief liberation review; we can see that both in west and in China, Jane Eyre has got

49、 great attention from the critics. The novel provided the reader a new world of the society in the Victorian time. Jane Eyre is a plain girl but she has a strong will, she dares to pursue the economic independence and so

50、cial states in a world that women are regarded as a second class. She set an example for today’s women. I hope that my effort in writing this thesis will make some help for the later res</p><p>　　Chapter 3 C

51、harlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre</p><p>　　3.1 Charlotte Bronte</p><p>　　3.1.1 Personal Experience of Charlotte Bronte</p><p>　　Charlotte Bronte was born in Yorkshire, England on April

52、21, 1816. She was the third child of Maria Branwell Bronte and the Reverend Patrick Bronte. Originally of Irish decent, the children all inherited their father’s passionate Irish temperament. When she was five years old,

53、 her mother died and she was raised by her aunt. As the oldest daughter in a family of six, she helped raise her brother, Branwell, and two sisters, Emily and Anne. Their father, a strict clergyman, believed in self-educ

54、ati</p><p>　　In 1824 Charlotte and three of her sisters were sent to Cowan Bridge, a school for daughters of clergymen. Obviously he chose the school for its low tuition, but the living conditions were intol

55、erable and the discipline overly rigid. The “l(fā)owood” section of Jane Eyre vividly conveys Charlotte’s unhappy memories of her experience there. After an outbreak of tuberculosis killed Maria and Elizabeth, Charlotte and

56、Emily were brought home. During this time, Charlotte taught her sisters at home and wo</p><p>　　In 1846, the three sisters published a book of Poems, and though the sales were low, the reviews were good and

57、spurred on further literary endeavors. In August of 1846 she began work on Jane Eyre. Though it was published in 1847, she didn’t tell her father about it until the next year, when the novel’s success was plain.</p>

58、;<p>　　This success was followed up by tragedy, however. In September 1848, Branwell died, this was closely followed by Emily’s death from consumption in 1848, and Anne’s death of the same disease in May 1849. Ber

59、eft, Charlotte and her father clung to each other for support. Eventually, </p><p>　　she started spending some time in London, meeting other writers of the day.</p><p>　　In Jane Eyre, there were

60、 five distinct stages of development, each linked to a particular place. After the success of Jane Eyre, she revealed her identity to her publisher and went on to write several other novels. In the years that followed, s

61、he became a respected member of London's literary set. But the death of siblings Emily and Branwell in 1848 and Ann in 1949 left her feeling dejected and emotionally isolated. In 1855, she died of pneumonia.</p>

62、;<p>　　3.1.2 Charlotte Bronte’s Position in Literary History</p><p>　　Although Charlotte Bronte only has four works of her life, she has an important position in the history of literature. She is the

63、first person who voice of a woman as the theme of the novel (楊莉馨，2002). Later writers are subject to her influence. Her works have been regarded as a model for modern women fiction. Together with her sisters, they are kn

64、own as the Bronte Sisters in the history of English literature.</p><p>　　3.2 Jane Eyre </p><p>　　3.2.1 The Plot Overview of Jane Eyre</p><p>　　Jane Eyre is a young orphan and she is

65、 raised by Mrs. Reed, her cruel, wealthy aunt. A servant named Bessie helps her a lot, telling her story and singing songs to her. One day, Jane is published for fighting with her bullying cousin John Reed, she is closed

66、 in the red-room where her Uncle Reed died. She is frightened and believes that she saw her Uncle’s ghost. When she wakes to find herself in the care of Bessie and the kindly apothecary Mr. Lioyd, who suggests to Mrs. Re

67、ed that Jane be sent a</p><p>　　Once at the school, Jane finds the school headmaster Mr. Brocklehurst is a cruel, hypocritical and abusive man. He treads the students badly. At school, Jane makes good friend

68、 with a girl named Helen Burns. But later Helen dies of consumption. This attracts more attention to the unhealthy conditions at Lowood. After a group of more sympathetic gentlemen takes Brocklehurst's place, Jane’s

69、life improves a lot. She spends eight years at Lowood, six as a student and two as a teacher.</p><p>　　After teaching for two years, Jane wants to change. She accepts a governess position at </p><

70、p>　　Thornfield’s manor, in which she teaches a lovely girl named Adele. The owner of the manor is Rochester, who is a impassioned man. Jane finds herself began to fall in love with him. At the same time, Rochester is

71、attracted by Jane. One day, Rochester proposes to Jane and she accepts.</p><p>　　The wedding day arrives, and Jane and Mr. Rochester prepare to exchange vows. Mr. Mason cries out that Rochester already has a

72、 wife and he is the brother of that wife Bertha. His wife is still alive but is locked in the house. Shocked by the story, Jane flees from the house. She goes though a lot of hardships. After nearly perishing on the moor

73、s, she is taken in and cared for by a parson, St. John. And he finds her a job teaching at a charity school. He wants Jane to accompany him as his wife. W</p><p>　　At last they get married. At the end of the

74、 story, Jane writes that they enjoy their life together. She says that after two years of blindness, he regained sight in one eye and was able to behold their first son at his birth.</p><p>　　3.2.2 The Theme

75、 of Jane Eyre</p><p>　　Jane Eyre is the story of a quest to be loved. Jane searches not just for romantic love, but also for a sense of being valued, of belonging. Over the course of the book, Jane must lear

76、n how to gain love without harming herself in the process. Jane struggles to find the right balance between moral duty and earthly pleasure, between obligation to her spirit and attention to her body. She encounters thre

77、e main religious figures: Mr. Brocklehurst, Helen Burns, and St. John Rivers. Each represents a </p><p>　　Jane Eyre is critical of Victorian England’s strict social hierarchy. Bronte’s exploration of the com

78、plicated social position of governesses is perhaps the novel’s most important treatment of this theme. Victorian governess was expected to posses the “culture” of the aristocracy. Yet, as </p><p>　　paid empl

79、oyees, they were more or less treated as servants, thus, Jane remains penniless and powerless while at Thornfield. Jane’s understanding of the double standard crystallizes when she becomes aware of her feelings for Roche

80、ster. Jane’s distress, which appears most strongly in Chapter 17, seems to be Bronte’s critique of Victorian class attitudes.</p><p>　　Jane herself speaks out against class prejudice at certain moments in th

81、e book. For example, she chastises Rochester: “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! I have as much soul as you and full as much heart! And if God had

82、gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you.” (ibid, 260)</p><p>　　Fire and ice appear throughout Jane Eyre. The former rep

83、resents Jane's passions, anger and spirit, while the latter represents the oppressive forces trying to extinguish Jane’s vitality. Fire is also a metaphor for Jane, as the narrative associates her with imagines of fi

84、re, brightness and warmth. She likens her mind to “a ridge of lighted health, alive, glancing and devouring.”(ibid, 30) Images of ice and cold, often appearing in association with barren landscapes or symbolize emotional

85、 desolat</p><p>　　3.2.3 Literary Value of Jane Eyre</p><p>　　Jane Eyre is one of the famous novels written by Charlotte Bronte in the 19th century due to its unique content and way of expression

86、. It has a long history in the English literature and it created the character Jane successfully who dares to fight for freedom and equality in a world that women are regarded as a second class. Jane Eyre was a hit in th

87、e 19th century. Since the work has been published, it attracted the attention of literary critics and thousands of readers. </p><p>　　Chapter4 the Rising of Jane Eyre’s Female Consciousness</p><p&

88、gt;　　4.1 Gateshead-beginning of Female Consciousness</p><p>　　At Gateshead, Jane begins her journey though her life. Jane’s earliest memories are about Gateshead and the Reed Family. Gateshead is a place in

89、which the passions of childhood are given free rein. From the beginning, Jane challenges the social principle of nineteenth century Victorian society such as social class, gender relations and injustice. Jane begins her

90、own story as an orphan, she is raised by a wealthy family, and this social standing motivates much of the novel's internal tension and </p><p>　　“I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call

91、you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to visit you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated

92、me with miserable cruelty......You think I have no feelings, an that I can do without one bit of love or kindness; but I can’t live so: and you have no pity. I shall remember how you thrust me back......into the red-roo

93、m.</p><p>　　This quotation is part of Jane’s outburst to her aunt. In chapter 4, she displays a keen sense of justice and recognition of her need for love. Along with the family liberation, the passage marks

94、 Jane’s emotional liberation. It is not until she speaks these words to Mrs. Reed that she feels her “soul begin to expand”.</p><p>　　4.2 Lowood- Growing of Female Consciousness</p><p>　　Jane su

95、ffers a lot in her aunt’s home. So getting away from home will make her life better, to her surprise, Mrs. Reed agreed to sent her to school. Jane stays at the school for nine years. Jane’s early years at Lowood prove to

96、 be a period of considerable tribulation; she also suffers harsh conditions, cruel teachers and the bad Mr. Brocklehurst. The harsh conditions she experiences as a student at Lowood show us that ,in spite of she is talen

97、t and self- assurance, she is merely a burden in the </p><p>　　Mr Brocklehurst is a religious hypocrite, supporting his own luxury life while his students live a poor life. Helen Burns is best friend of Jane

98、 in the school but her character is different from Jane herself. Helen is passive and accepts any abjection. She embodies rather than preaches the Christian ideas of love and forgiveness. While Jane has a strong sensitiv

99、ity to indignities and injustices, She fails to understand Helen’s passivity. As Jane herself declares: “When we are struck at without a</p><p>　　4.3 Thornfield - Uprising of Female Consciousness</p>

100、<p>　　Jane begins her career as a governess and travels to Thornfield, where the principle incidents of her story take place. After her stay at Gateshead, Jane comes to understand what Rochester and Thornfield mean

101、to her. When she remembers the poor days in her childhood, Jane now realizes how different her life has become, how much she has gained and how much she has grown. In Thornfield, she finds that she comes to fall in love